Early Nutrition Causes Persistent Effects on Pheasant Morphology

Abstract

Differences in growth conditions during early ontogeny have been suggested to cause permanent effects on the morphology and quality of birds. Yearly variation in growth conditions could thus result in morphological and quality differences between cohorts. In this study, we investigated the effect of small differences in the dietary protein content of captive ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) during their first 8 wk posthatching. An experimental increase of the proportion of dietary protein during the first 3 wk of life accelerated growth, whereas a similar manipulation during the following 5 wk had only a limited effect. Compensatory growth during the postexperimental period equalized the size of chicks from different experimental treatments. However, a difference in tarsus length resulting from experimental treatment during the first 3 wk remained into adulthood. Furthermore, the protein content of the diet during the first 3 wk had an effect on the degree of fluctuating asymmetry in tarsus length, suggesting persistent effects on the quality of birds. The results of this study may explain size differences between cohorts that exist in pheasants and may also provide a link between the use of pesticides in agriculture and population effects on pheasants.

Individual variation in the basal metabolism of Zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata: no effect of food quality during early development

“…However, when measured at an age of between 56 to 108 days, there was no difference in body mass between the experimental groups. A similar lack of long-term effect on adult body mass was also reported by Ohlsson and Smith [29] after manipulation of the protein-content of the diet fed to chicks of the Ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) (although in this species the tarsus length was affected). We can offer no explanation as to why food quality during early life has a strong effect on body mass in Zebra finches and apparently not in other species.…”

The influence of strain and age on some egg quality parameters of commercial laying hens

“…There are a series of recommendations for pheasant chicken nutrition, considerably different in the amount of certain nutrients . Great attention is paid to the quality and quantity of protein (Ohlsson and Smith, 2001). Đorđević et al (2010) examined the effect of different levels of protein in the diet (A 1 = 26% by the end of the 4th week of life and 20% from the 4th to the end of sixth week of life, A 2 = 30% crude protein until the end of the fourth week of life and 24% by the end of the fourth week until the end of sixth week of life) and a variety of pheasant density (B 1 and B = 450 2 = 550 birds / group) on the performance and mortality (table 2).…”

Pheasant sexual ornaments reflect nutritional conditions during early growth

“…The late treatment, weeks 4-8, had no effect on wattle size (F 1,37.1 = 0.46, p = 0.50). Because treatment affects the size of pheasants (Ohlsson & Smith 2001), the effect of treatment on wattle size could be caused by pheasants becoming generally larger. However, the effect of the early treatment on wattle size was significant also when including tarsus length as a covariate (early treatment as factor and tarsus length as covariate, the effect of early treatment F 1,40.2 = 18.53, p = 0.0001).…”